Historical Fascination

I love history!  On Thursday, We traveled to the Cities on a bus with our homeschool group and were privileged to view the Terra-Cotta Warriors from China at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and participate in a class on "Minnesota's Role in the Civil War" at the Minnesota History Center.  Both experiences satisfied my interest in historical information.

Over 2000 years ago, the first Emperor of China united all the Warring States under his control and pursued his interest in immortality.  He commissioned the clay craftsmen of his kingdom - by force when necessary - to produce 8000 soldiers.  These craftsmen were not artists, and in fact Chinese art up to that time was very abstract, geometric and stylized.  But Emperor Qin wanted the soldiers, who were buried with him so they could guard him in his afterlife, to look realistic.  The craftsmen succeeded in guiding their crews to construct figures, probably a little larger than life size, which astounded our group with their authenticity.  Apparently, analysis has revealed that each figure has a different face, though eight basic facial types are represented (and are still operative in China today).  There were about ten warriors and horses in the exhibit, all reconstructed since no figure was found intact.  Ironically, peasants who rebelled against Qin's son looted the pits for the weapons each warrior carried, and broke them in the process.

At the History Center, we learned about the First Minnesota regiment, also the first regiment enlisted in the Union Army after the firing on Ft. Sumter, because Governor Ramsey was in Washington, DC when he heard about the South's secession and immediately volunteered Minnesota citizens.  The teacher of the class sparked quite a bit of participation from the students, although she couldn't get Andrew to raise his hand, and delivered an interesting video, audio and hands-on presentation.  Of the 1000 men who signed up to fire a few shots and teach the Rebels a lesson, 286 were killed and 609 wounded in battle.

The leaders of the War noted the First Minnesota's bravery in its very first engagement; unlike many other regiments, it stood its ground during the Battle of Bull Run.  During the Battle of Gettysburg, Major General Hancock ordered the regiment to go up against 5:1 odds and hold a spot which had been vacated by three fleeing Union regiments.  Suffering an 83% casualty rate, still the highest in any encounter by any US troops, the soldiers managed to hang on to the position, and the 47 survivors returned to the Major General with their flag intact.  This was a crucial turning point in the battle, which was a crucial turning point in the war.

I love all this stuff.  Every detail fascinates me, and I could have spent many hours listening to and reading the information these historians displayed.  It's one of the top benefits of homeschooling for me.